Potential of three trap crops in managing Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on tomatoes in Florida

Authors: GORDON, TAVIA - Florida A & M University; HASEEB, MUHAMMAD - Florida A & M University; KANGA, LAMBERT - Florida A & M University; Legaspi, Jesusa

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/21/2017
Publication Date: 10/11/2017
Citation: Gordon, T.L., Haseeb, M., Kanga, L.H., Legaspi, J.C. 2017. Potential of three trap crops in managing Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on tomatoes in Florida. Journal of Economic Entomology. 110(6):2478-2482. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox267.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox267

Interpretive Summary: The southern green stink bug is a serious insect pest of tomatoes in Florida. To reduce plant damage and facilitate pest control, the use of “Trap crops,” which are plants that attract insect pests away from commercial crops was assessed for green stick bug control. Scientists at the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Tallahassee, Florida, in collaboration with those at Center for Biological Control, Florida A&M University, tested several trap crops including striped sunflower, wild game feed sorghum, brown top and pearl millet as control agents. Field experiments were conducted in 2014 and 2015 to compare numbers of stinkbugs collected in the various trap crops. Wild game feed sorghum attracted the highest number of adult green stink bugs striped while sunflower was found to attract significantly greater numbers of the brown stink bug which is another pest of tomatoes. Both sorghum and sunflower were shown to be a good sources of natural enemies and pollinators. No stinkbugs were collected from either species of millet. While this study demonstrated the effectiveness of sorghum, we recommend that sorghum be planted with another trap crop, preferably sunflower, for better preventive control of the southern green stink bug.

Technical Abstract: The southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a serious insect pest of tomatoes in Florida. In this study, we examined the use of three species of trap crops to manage N. viridula in North Florida tomato crops in 2014 and 2015. We used striped sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and wild game feed sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in both years, but different species of millet each year: brown top millet (Panicum ramosum) in 2014 and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in 2015. The number of stink bug adults collected from wild game feed sorghum exceeded the number from sunflower, and none were collected from either species of millet. Sorghum attracted a significantly higher number of adults than did striped sunflower; however, both sunflower and sorghum served as host plants for Nezara viridula. Although fewer stink bugs were found on sunflower, the sunflower was found to be a good source of other natural enemies and pollinators, and also attracted significantly greater numbers of the brown stink bug Euschistus servus (another pest of tomatoes). While this study demonstrated the effectiveness of sorghum, we recommend that sorghum be planted with another trap crop, preferably sunflower, for better preventive control of the southern green stink bug.